After signing four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Stephon Diggs earlier this week, making their biggest splash of the offseason, the New England Patriots appeared to finally land a “wild receiver one” for second-year quarterback Drake Maye. The Patriots hope is that adding a receiver of Diggs’ caliber will open up coverages for the remaining pass-catchers, who ranked at the bottom of the league in yardage (2,995) last season, and second-to-last in touchdowns (18).
So far in the current free agent period, the Patriots have spent a staggering $301.2 million, more than any team in the NFL. By contrast, the New York Giants signed 17 free agents to the Patriots’ 15, but spent almost $100 million less ($203.5 million). To make that expenditure pay off not only in 2025, but in Maye’s career going forward, New England will need to continue upgrading the passing game.
To do that, the Patriots will need to continue improvements not only at wide receiver but also at the tight end position, where Hunter Henry was Maye’s favorite target last season. Maye tried to reach the 10th-year receiver out of Arkansas 97 times in the rookie QB’s 12 games, completing 66 of the attempts to Henry.
Career Peak For Tight Ends Wraps Up at Age 30
But Henry is now 30 years old, the same age as New England’s second tight end, Austin Hooper who will also be entering his 10th season since being drafted by the Atlanta Falcons out of Stanford as a 2016 third-rounder.
Of course, at the tight end position blocking is as important as catching passes, and both Henry and Hooper perform that function well â but the job takes a physical toll. That is likely why the peak years for NFL tight ends come between the ages of 25 and 27, according to a study by the sports research group Apex. The Apex study found that even an “expanded” career peak for tight ends extends only to age 30.
The Patriots, then, need to be in the market for their tight end of the future and according to a new trade proposal put together by Kevin Sinclair of SI.com, they can find that young tight end by making deal with the team now run, at least partially, by the greatest Patriot ever to put on the red, white and blue uniform â Tom Brady.
Brady is now a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, with what appears to be a significant degree of influence over personnel decisions and the direction of the franchise. So presumably he would need be on board with trading the Raiders’ tight end who, as an All-American at Notre Dame earned the nickname “Baby Gronk,” 23-year-old Michael Mayer.
Mayer ended his Fighting Irish career as the iconic school’s all-time receptions leader for a tight end.
Day Three Pick For ‘Baby Gronk’ Proposed
The nickname, of course, is a reference to Rob Gronkowski, the Patriots tight end from 2010 to 2018 who was one of Brady’s favorite targets and is often considered the best ever to play the position.
High praise, but so far Mayer, the Raiders’ second-round pick, 35th overall, in 2023, has not lived up to the nickname in the pro ranks, catching just 48 passes in two seasons with only two touchdowns â both in his rookie season.
“Itâs difficult to project what Las Vegas would want in return for the former top-of-the-second-round draft pick,” wrote Sinclair. “Conversely, itâs easy to make the case that this potential move is at least worth considering for the Patriots. If New England could land him for a Day Three pick, it would likely be well worth it.”
On Day Three, rounds four through seven, the Patriots own four picks, the 106th overall, 144th, 217th and 238th. Brady himself was, famously, a Day Three pick, taken 199th overall by the Patriots in 2000.
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